Purchasing real estate is thought to be one of the wisest decisions when it comes to investment of money, and becoming a landlord is one way to ensure you are able to receive an ongoing income from your investment, while your capital wealth continues to build.
Of course, it is not as easy as the last paragraph describes! Investing your hard earned cash should not be done lightly, any decisions should be made after substantial research and consideration. However, many individuals take the time to research their purchase carefully, enlisting the advice of experts in the field and still make mistakes that can be extremely costly in the long run.
For this reason, we have compiled six of the most common pitfalls that landlords tend to stumble into when it comes to investing in real estate. Once you know what these mistakes are, which frequently cause problems for landlords, you will be aware of what to watch out for, and you can make your investment decisions wisely.
Mistake Number One – Deciding As You Go
The most serious mistake many landlords make, is not putting a full plan of action together before they start. Instead, they simply make decisions as they go along on the journey of choosing and investing in real estate – and all of the aspects that go along with that.
It is a far better idea to have a complete plan in place before financial decisions are made, and that should cover the location, type of property, budget for offer price, renovations and so on. By failing to adequately research their options and plan for all eventualities, landlords leave themselves more vulnerable to risks.
This mistake can be extremely costly when issues arise that landlords hadn’t considered, for example, unexpected problems with the structure of the building that has been purchased.
Mistake Number Two – Allowing Emotions to Rule
The second pitfall that tends to swallow landlords whole is allowing emotions to take the reins with regard to decision making. While it is easy to say that real estate should be regarded as a business with everything considered calmly and rationally, we all know how it feels to be “sucked in.” In some circumstances, the heart tries to rule the head.
But while we are all human, real estate is one situation where landlords must consciously control emotions, and consider decisions carefully from all angles. The “get rich quick” schemes, for example, can be tempting, especially when they are marketed in a shiny must-have package, but often these schemes really are too good to be true and are little more than a scam.
Another example in which landlords must watch their emotions, is in submitting an offer for a rental property. A sizable part of the long term profit is made at the point of purchase, so landlords must stay strong and stick to the budget that has been set. Paying below market rate for a property should be the goal.
Mistake Number Three – Ignoring The Advice Of Experts
Landlords are required to excel at a number of roles in order to make their real estate business a success, but the great news is that they don’t have to do it all alone! Unfortunately, many landlords fail to depend on the experts for advice in certain specialized areas of the rental process, and as a result, costly and largely avoidable, mistakes are made.
There are many experts that can help landlords with various factors, such as a real estate agent to provide details about recent sales values, a broker to explain the finer details of a mortgage and an attorney that can advise you on legal matters. While certain aspects can be completed without the input of an expert, it is always valuable to ask questions and complete research with the help of individuals inside the industry. The best case scenario is to build a team around you, of professionals that you can trust.
Mistake Number Four – Relying on Inaccurate Estimates
When it comes to making plans in real estate, numerous decisions are based on estimates that are made along the way. These include an estimated purchase price for a property, plus the cost of renovations, the final rental fee and even the health of the local economy on the whole.
It is impossible to assess the cash flow of a real estate investment accurately in advance due to the number of estimates that make up the foundation of the financial plan.
While this has to be accepted to a certain degree, it can be a pitfall for landlords when they rely on the estimates too heavily, taking the figures that have been drawn up as fact. The best way to handle the uncertainty of the estimates is to input accurate numbers into financial forecasts as soon as they are established. It can also be useful to build strong relationships with contractors and tradesmen, so that any quotations for renovations can be viewed as solidly reliable. This will be extremely useful when it comes to deciding on the viability of a property that needs work done to it. Always overestimate costs, and underestimate profits to a certain degree, this will provide a margin of error that could make all of the difference to your budget.
Mistake Number Five – Forgetting The Importance Of Cash Flow
Another mistake many landlords make is in focusing on the bigger, long term picture of their investment and forgetting the importance of cash flow. This can crop up in several ways including:
- Failing to prepare for unexpected costs
- Paying too much for property/tenant management
- Failing to plan for vacancy
The costs of owning a property are constant, including the mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance and advertising for a tenant. Of course, it is necessary to balance the incoming cash with the outgoing costs, otherwise the landlord will find themselves in trouble very quickly, and the long term gains can be lost due to short term mistakes, which may eventually damage credit ratings and even lead to losing the property. Long term gains need to be balanced with short term needs in order to make the deal a success.
Mistake Number Six – Failing to Complete Due Diligence
With the real estate market becoming increasingly competitive, deals often move quickly and investors can feel rushed through the process, cutting essential corners such as signing contracts and conducting research. This is one pitfall that can be disastrous for landlords and can result in losing substantial amounts of money.
The key is to take time to complete adequate due diligence regarding the real estate deal in order to minimize the risks of the investment. Nothing should be taken for granted. For example, it should not be assumed that newly constructed buildings will have no defects. Unfortunately, the opposite is often true due to pressurized deadlines on the builders.
Summary
There are many common mistakes that landlords make time and again, and they can be extremely costly to rectify. Fortunately, these can largely be avoided, simply by taking the time to research decisions thoroughly, reaching out to experts for advice as much as possible.
We recommend that landlords plan ahead in their real estate decisions, and avoid making decisions as they go, in order to be fully prepared for the investment business, completing adequate due diligence along the way.
This leads us perfectly to the reminder that the business should be run rationally and not controlled by emotions. While it can be easy to be carried away by how we feel around a deal, the viability of decisions should always come first.
Landlords should turn to the advice of experts to help them with this, working with a team of individuals across the industry is the best way to conduct business. A real estate agent can offer insights into properties coming onto the market in the best locations at a price that is right for you. In addition, a broker can walk you through the confusing array of loans that are available for landlords, and an attorney can save you a fortune in the long run, by keeping you inside the law in your choices.
Within your team, it makes sense to have a contractor that can help to provide accurate estimates of any work that is required. This will help you avoid the mistake of relying on inaccurate estimates of costs. The best way to handle this pitfall is to always remember that estimates are just that – inaccurate figures that should not be taken for granted.
This should help to keep the cash flow in check, which is something that landlords should have a close eye on at all times. Remembering that the short term cash health of the business is as important as the longer term profits. With this in mind, it should help landlords avoid the most costly financial mistakes, so they can save money and make their real estate business a success.
